An international team led by Dr. Dana Alina (Nazarbayev University) has revealed the magnetic field structure of the striking ring-like molecular cloud G111, near the NGC7538 star-forming region. Using high-sensitivity observations from the IRAM 30-meter telescope combined with data from other facilities, the team applied the Velocity Gradients Technique to map how magnetic forces shaped the cloud.
The study shows an ordered magnetic structure following the cloud’s curvature, suggesting that magnetism played a key role in preserving the ring’s shape, possibly resulting from a past supernova, strong stellar winds, or large-scale interactions. This work highlights the power of combining multiple observational techniques to study magnetic fields in star-forming regions. The full study is published in The Astronomical Journal: Link to publication
Read the full IRAM press release.
Image: ESA/Herschel/PACS/SPIRE. Acknowledgements: Cassie Fallscheer (University of Victoria), Mike Reid (University of Toronto) and the Herschel HOBYS team